Enjoy the Ride!
Julio Urias pitched about like I thought he would play in his first game back from the IL. He was rusty and gave up a lot of soft contact in the first inning. The Royals got just one extra-base hit, but Julio was not sharp. That was to be expected. He was using all his pitches…
Julio Urias pitched about like I thought he would play in his first game back from the IL. He was rusty and gave up a lot of soft contact in the first inning. The Royals got just one extra-base hit, but Julio was not sharp. That was to be expected. He was using all his pitches but did not have command of them – kind of like what you would expect for the first game back after a long layoff! His fastball had life and was at 93.6 MPH frequently.
So many knee-jerk reactions yesterday, but one voice of sanity stood out, and that was Bluto:
“What can you do?
After that silly first inning full of weak contact hits, the team played pretty well.
Urias will need some time, but that first inning was almost one you laugh, shrug and move on from.“
–Bluto
Well said! Julio should return to his Cy Young form before too long. It’s all a process. In case you have never seen this game played before, it is a very strange game in that a pitcher can look horrible for a month and then be unhittable for six weeks. It’s a game of ups and downs, highs and lows. The key is not to get too high or too low. “On any given day….” You know the rest. To think that yesterday’s game means that the Dodgers cannot play against the top teams is moronic. All yesterday’s game means is that the Dodgers lost… yesterday.
We were told by Andrew Friedman that this was a “transition year” whereby some rookies would be introduced into the lineup. Some fans think it has been an abject failure and already want to trade Vargas and Cartaya. Many already thought Busch was only a trade chip. Player development is not linear, and it’s just fine that fans have different opinions about players. Many scouts and other baseball people have differing opinions, which is why Andrew Friedman values a multitude of opinions and has many advisors around him. The Dodgers still believe in these players.
The Dodgers have introduced seven (7) rookies into the lineup this year:
- Miguel Vargas
- James Outman
- Michael Busch
- Jonny DeLuca
- Bobby Miller
- Emmet Sheehan
- Nick Robertson
All have excellent potential. All need to improve… and there are more to choose from. We have seen James Outman burst onto the scene and look like Barry Bonds for a month, only to turn into Mario Mendoza for a month, but as the oldest rookie, he is showing the maturity to change and adjust. He is not going to be Barry Bonds, but neither is he going to be Mario Mendoza! I think we will see incremental improvement from him for the rest of the season. If you look at the stats of Busch, Vargas, and DeLuca, you can see that a two-game hot streak would carry them to the same level as Outman.
Will Smith is hitting .154 in his last seven games, while Max Muncy is hitting .181 in his last 30 games, but to think that Muncy is done forgets about his hot streak earlier in the season.
Right about now, the Rotation looks like this:
- Julio Urias
- Clayton Kershaw
- Tony Gonsolin
- Bobby Miller
- Emmet Sheehan
“But Kershaw and Gonsolin are hurt!” Are they? All I know is that they are pitching, and Dustin May will try and come back in July, while Striker Buehler will try and come back in September. If you believe Noah Syndergaard is finished, you could be wrong. I guess we just have to wait and see. Landon Knack went six innings at OKC last night and gave up three hits, 0 Runs, and struck out 7! Alex Vesia closed out the game with two hitless, walkless, shutout innings and struck out 2. Jimmie Nelson’s progress is slower, as he gave up two runs in 1 IP last night.
I think Landon Knack can be outstanding! He is MLB-ready! He might be better than any starter available on the trade market. Andrew Friedman is not panicking, and neither am I. Some of you want Bruce Bochy over Dave Roberts, but let’s not forget that Bochy won two World Series as a Wild Card! Maybe the Dodgers will also get that chance! No Dodger team has ever had a run this good. No Dodger team has ever had a Farm system so deep, and progress is not linear. I think you are in for a fun ride. I am not saying that the Dodgers will not make any trades, but the question is: “DO they need to?”
Feel free to have your own opinions – I do. I will continue to call people morons who deserve it. I call myself that on occasion. Yesterday, a commenter in what can only be characterized as a “hit piece” tried to put me down. He’s entitled to his own opinion, but he did state this:
“Somehow you’ve put together the most interesting Dodger site in spite of yourself.”
–Phillip Raven
Actually, it is calculated. This site was created over 20 years ago, and I vowed that it would not be like any other site. Game recaps are all over the internet. You can read a game recap anywhere. Many people have left this site as they are too thin-skinned to take any pushback. Some have left and taken like-minded posters who sing Kumbaya and affirm each other’s worth. Feel free to go there too. I get weary of this at times, but I am still here, and the way this site is run and the eclectic posters who are here are what make this site what it is: Edgy and unpredictable. Go to the other sites, and you will know what dysfunctional is.
I predicted Bob Melvin would be the first manager fired. I thought even Ray Charles could see that. I will continue to use cliches, and I am an eternal optimist. I do get some inside information (not from my barber) which is sometimes right and sometimes wrong. I get nothing from the Dodgers – not even pressbox seats and I was the first blogger to ever sit in the press box. Since Friedman has arrived, I get ZILCH! It has served me well, and I am the head cheerleader because this is the best time in history to be a Dodger Fan. If I am so horrible, why do people keep coming back? “Because it’s the Best Damn Dodger Blog on the Planet!” Thank you to all the dozens of contributors and thousands of readers. If the rest of you don’t like it… don’t let the doorknob hit you!
— Peace out, which is better than peace off!
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Discussion (75)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Royal are playing the Dodgers, literally
I think a lot of us say things out of frustration. It gets old watching the team struggle against the bottom feeders. One thing I have noticed about teams playing the Dodgers. They look to exploit the Dodgers biggest weakness. At this point it is the pitchers lack of prowess holding runners. The last three times Gonsolin has started, he has not been the same pitcher. He may well have some injury issues. Not a good report on Kershaw or Taylor. Kersh said his bullpen was good. Roberts said it was ok. Taylor will now not be back until after the All-Star break.
I know, sometimes I comment out of frustration, and wanting to vent. speaking for myself, but I think it might be true, of some other posters also.
By no means do I want to trade a bunch of our prospects for stopgaps or Band-Aids
And I certainly haven’t given up on the season
I don’t blame AF for not really going into the free-agent market before the start of the year.
I’m glad considering the Bauer situation, and the crazy mount of money free agents where getting that AF did not pull off any crazy moves and put the team in the hole for the next several years
Anyway, I think this is the best place to talk Dodger baseball on the Internet.
Bruce Bochy would never take the Dodger job. Or at least not with Friedman there. If Roberts were to be let, go af would bring in someone similar. As long as Friedman is there you won’t see a Lasorda type manager. Let’s see if Gonsolin has any uptick in velocity today. If not, mark may be spot on, Tommy John around the corner! I sure hope not. Dodgers have had more than their share of that.
* Ryan Blakney who is usually inconsistent, lived up to his reputation last night. He was horseshit with his moving zone and got under Urias’ skin early on. That and the bloops.
The bloops are frustrating but to the Royals credit, they put the ball in play. And run aggressively.
Freddie hit a bullet right at Matt Duffy, top 7, with Mookie on 2nd. No cigar. The Royals scored 5 in the first with 4 lobs that didn’t break the speed limit.
That’s baseball.
* Jason Benetti was spot on about Will Smith’s tags. The enforcement lately on blocking the plate has required even more sweep tags. The Posey Rule that needs reviewed by MLB. The sooner ,the better
* Eric Karros is justifiable all over the Dodger pitcher’s inability to hold runners.
How many runs were aided by a stolen base or two? Do the coaches, especially Mark Prior, emphasize at least trying to very looks and speed up the pitchers? How about not give guys a running start? How about a pitch out? How about a timing pick once in awhile?
We’ve given up 103 stolen, most in MLB.
The Royals 6th run was a perfect example of how our inability to hold a runner is costly. Brasier dropped the toss from Freddie at first, so Blanco was on, no outs. 1st pitch, Blanco steals 2nd, with no look by Brasier. A batter later, Blanco steals 3rd. To make matters worse, Blanco was stealing 3rd on the previous pitch, that was fouled off. Then stole the bag on the next pitch. On neither attempt Brasier paid any attention to him.
Blanco was 3.29 from 1st to 2nd. Will’s pop-time was a speedy 1.9 on that attempt. That leaves 1.39 seconds for Brasier to get the ball to Will, to have any shot. He was at 1.44.
The math is pretty simple. Good runners are 3.3 to 3.5 seconds to 2nd. Some faster. The average pop-time is 2.0. That means 1.4 + to home won’t cut it. Our pitchers are consistently at 1.4 or more. Brasier was 1.54 to home with Blanco stealing 3rd, with no look.
So Blanco got on base, on an error, steals 2 bases and scores on Bobby Witt’s sac fly. It’s great baseball for the Royals, and it’s bad baseball for the Dodgers, who don’t seem eager to fix it. Maybe the coaches (Prior) don’t want to screw with the pitcher’s times to home. Like Syndergaard, who refuses to speed up. But this is a real problem that turns every single into a double or worse.
Again, how about a pitch out?
* MLB may have created a monster with the running game. Teams always had fast guys but chose not to steal bases much as a part of their offense. With the encouragement of closer bases and especially the 2 disengagement rule, many teams decided to employ the running game more. The stealing success rate was always high but teams didn’t want to risk the out. Now, that fear is out the window and it’s a track meet.
I wonder if the 2 disengagement rule will be looked at for next year?
* What was in Franco’s right rear pocket? It looked like a cell phone. No shit. Please tell me that players don’t carry cell phones.
* Somebody yesterday mentioned Muncy’s weight and his need to hit the salad bar. Is it me, or does it look like Urias spent too much time at the delicious Mexican buffet, while his was on the IL?
Good perspective Mark. A lot of ups and downs in a 162 game season. Especially when playing so many rookies and with so many injuries. I thought the defense in the first inning was terrible by the Dodgers. Both Outman and Vargas seemed to get bad jumps and should have made plays to help Julio. And the Dodgers are the worst in MLB at allowing stolen bases. This huge weakness is very likely to be further exploited the rest of the year and into the playoffs.
Dodger ram made a trade proposal yesterday suggesting 5 prospects like Busch, Grove, Pepiot, Nastrini and Kopp for thePittsburgh closer.
Bednar is the closer for Pittsburgh and he is having a great year with ERA of 1.44, WHIP of 0.89 and 16 saves. He is a 28 yr old LHP who only makes $745,000 this year and still has 3 arb years starting in 2024. He was also really good the last two years with ERAs of 2.23 and 2.61. He is definitely an ideal target for the Dodger bullpen, but I would not give up the 5 prospects you suggested for him. However, after looking at his contract and track record, it may take close to that package to get him. Especially, since Pittsburgh is only 4.5 games out of division lead. Maybe if the Pirates included McCutchen or Hill that kind of deal might work.
Another reliever target might be Scott Barlow for the Royals. He hasn’t been nearly as good as Bednar this year with an ERA of 4.06 and Whip of 1.29. But the last two years Barlow had 2.18 and 2.42 ERAs while appearing in 70 games each year. His salary this year is $5.3 million and he only has one arbitration year left. The royals are clearly out of the race, so Barlow is expected to be traded and will command a much lower price than Bednar. Barlow is from Santa Clarita and was originally drafted by the Dodgers in 2011, before being released after the 2017 season. He wouldn’t be a lockdown closer like Bednar but would add solid depth to the bullpen.
Opinions are like noses …. everyone has one …. and some are bigger than others
I enjoy reading all the thoughts and opinions. Some of the comments are “off the wall”, but the passion for the Dodgers undeniable
I sit in South Florida and watch many of the Tampa games. They are fun to watch grind out the wins.
Mark you operate a very enjoyable site to visit and spend time with. Keep up the good work you do
Saturday scores
Oklahoma City 8, Sugar Land 2
Amarillo 12, Tulsa 10
Lansing 8, Great Lakes 3
Visalia 6, Rancho Cucamonga 2
Sunday schedule
10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Hyun-il Choi) vs. Lansing (Joelvis Del Rosario)
5 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Gabe Emmett) vs. Visalia (Ricardo Yen)
5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Gavin Stone) at Sugar Land (Austin Hansen)
5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Ben Casparius) at Amarillo (Deyni Olivero)
High-A: Left-hander Lucas Wepf, a non-drafted free agent signee last year, was promoted from Rancho Cucamonga to the Loons after leading the Dodgers minors with a 43.6-percent strikeout rate to go with his 2.43 ERA in Low-A.
Landon Knack pitches 6 scoreless innings
2:10 PM ET
Dodgers (46-36)
Royals (24-59)
SP Tony Gonsolin R
4-2 3.30 ERA
SP Brady Singer R
4-7 5.88 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
SS Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
3B Max Muncy L
DH J. Martinez R
LF D. Peralta L
RF J. Heyward L
2B M. Vargas R
CF James Outman L
C A. Barnes R
Partly cloudy-day
83° Wind 9 mph L-R
Big game today for TG.
Can he rebound from his last unimpressive outings ? Will his velo still be down ? Has he the stamina to go more than 60 pitches like last time out ?
A 3-3 road trip to COL and KC would be underwhelming to straight disappointing.
Barnes catching today and MM batting third. Yikes. I like him but Would rather bat him 6th or 7th .
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!